


Olympics

by YDraigGoch



Category: Planes (Movies)
Genre: Enemies to Friends, F/M, Gen, Humanized, It's not a huge part of the story, Ripslinger Redemption, You can ignore the ships probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:16:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28406868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YDraigGoch/pseuds/YDraigGoch
Summary: Ripslinger had always enjoyed being the sole representative of the United States in the Olympics for Air Racing. However, due to a certain former cropduster's success, he will have to work together with his greatest rival.
Relationships: Dusty Crophopper/Ishani in like 2 sentences, Ripslinger/OC
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, a couple notes about this story. For one, it is humanized. Why is air racing an olympic sport in the human world? Because the plot requires it. Ripslinger is basically the protagonist of this story, and events will be written from his perspective. However, this is going to be in a sort of AU where he was just mean to Dusty, not actually violent and trying to murder, but you could probably read it in accordance with cannon events. I feel like that’s a bit extreme and harder to reform. His personality is hopefully going to be more in line with the short “Meet Ripslinger” than the actual film. This also takes place about halfway between Planes and Planes: Fire and Rescue. Well, I think that’s everything. Enjoy!

Ripslinger strode into a drab waiting room deep in the annals of the US Olympic committee building . Despite being 15 minutes late, he was in no rush. They would wait for him. Everyone always did. After a nod from the secretary, he entered the cramped office and needless to say, he was disappointed. Not surprised, but definitely disappointed. He figured they would invite Dusty Crophopper, the farm boy who fancied himself a racer. But seeing him bouncing in his seat like a 5-year-old who had just been told they were going to Disneyland made him realize just how much he had dreaded the news that was sure to come.

For as long as he had been racing, he had represented the US in the Olympics. Alone. Oddly, there had never been anyone else good enough to join the team. But now it appeared he would have to share with Dusty, unfortunately.

“Hello Ripslinger, Please take a seat” said the man behind the desk, gesturing to the vacant chair next to the one Dusty was occupying. “As I am sure you can see,” the man began, “Dusty will be joining you on the US air racing team for the Olympics this year. There’s not much else to say, you know the drill and I’ve filled Dusty on most of the details so I’ll just leave the two of you to figure out practice times and everything” The man rose from his seat. “We’ll be sending you both more information soon” 

“Wait, practice times?” Ripslinger was taken aback. He was not aware that this required them to practice together.

“Well of course! The two of you will be on the same team after all! It only makes sense that the two of you spend some time practicing together. I’ll leave the details to the two of you, but I’m sure you two have plenty you can learn from each other” He winked, leaving the two of them alone in the cramped room that only seemed to grow smaller.

Oh no. no no no. He did not like this idea at all. They were rivals. They weren’t supposed to help each other, let alone practice together. He didn’t even practice with Ned and Zed most of the time, and they were actually teammates. On top of that, he hated practicing in front of others. It made him look too vulnerable. He was supposed to make everything look effortless. Actually putting in effort messed with that theory. Besides, there was no way he was going to take advice from Dusty. 

“Rip? Hello? Earth to Ripslinger?” His thoughts were interrupted by a hand waving in his face.

Oh great, he’d been zoning out. He looked up to see Dusty looking at him questioningly. “What?” Ripslinger asked. He had no idea what the crop duster had been talking about.  
“I wanted to know if it was alright if we meet in Propwash Junction this Saturday to practice and we can work things out from there”

He cringed inwardly. He dreaded the idea of practicing with farm boy, but it didn’t really look like he had a choice. Dusty coming to his home turf in New York City to practice was out of the question. He laughed inwardly as he pictured Dusty struggling with the intricacies of JFK airport. Apparently, no matter how many times he had been there for racing, he always managed to mess it up somehow, and stories about his failures were among the most popular among the regulars there. As much as he would like to see it firsthand, he knew that practice would be a lot less frustrating at a less busy airport. There were some downsides to living in the city. 

“Sure” He groaned, already dreading the aforementioned training session.


	2. Chapter 2

Ripslinger had assumed it would only take a quick google search to find Propwash Junction. He had been wrong. Despite being home of the oh so great Dusty Crophopper, no one really knew where it was. Well, no one but Ishani. After 15 minutes of searching he had only found a few obscure articles about some corn festival Dusty had performed in there. So, knowing that she often visited the crop duster, he sent her a text. After some suspicion, she sent him the coordinates and now he was almost there. At least he thought so. All he could really see were various fields, mostly of corn, some of things he couldn’t be bothered to find out. Finally, he approached an airplane shaped plateau. He was surprised. He hadn’t actually expected it to actually be airplane shaped like Ishani said it would be. He got permission to land and laughed at the fact that there was only one runway. What a joke. 

He climbed out of his plane only to find Dusty and his trainer glaring at him with their arms crossed. Yep. They were definitely mad.

“Hi guys what’s up?” He said, taking a selfie with his plane before approaching them.

“You’re late”

“Sorry, I got lost” he lied “This place is literally in the middle of nowhere”

“You were supposed to be here three hours ago!” 

Sure, maybe it was a little inconsiderate to be that late, but since when was he considerate? He had way more important things to do than practice with Rusty, like writing volume II of his autobiography. “Whatever, let’s just get this over with”

“We would be done already if-” Dusty was quickly interrupted from what promised to be an indignant rant by his instructor. 

“Alright, let’s start with some of the logistics”

As skipper went over what the courses would include, Ripslinger began to look for a distraction. He already knew all this stuff. He looked at Dusty who was wide-eyed and enthralled in whatever the old man was saying. Amateur. Seriously, the guy might be an expert in WW2 dogfighting, but nobody knew more about air racing than he did. He-

“Got all that?”

“Yep” He and Dusty said in unison. Yuck, they had said the same thing at the same time. That was a little too much similarity. Ugh who was he kidding they would literally be wearing matching outfits in a few weeks. How repulsive. As if wearing red, white and blue instead of his signature green and black wasn’t bad enough.

“So, Rip, why don’t you go first?” The skipper asked.

Rip looked at the crude sketch he was pointing at. It seemed to be showing a new technique that he had never tried before. That was weird, he was supposed to know everything. The old man must have really done his homework to find something the veteran racer hadn’t done a hundred times over. That being said, it did look rather difficult, not that he would admit it. Most of the time he could do any new trick by looking at it, that being said he tended to do better from a living example than from a picture. He would have to think of something fast before he embarrassed himself in front of Dusty. Again.

He leaned back, folding his hands behind his head “No, I think since it’s Dusty’s hometown he should get to go first”

He was met with a raised eyebrow. Yeah maybe that wasn’t the best excuse.

“Fine,” said the war veteran. “Dusty, you head up. We’ll watch from the ground and look for things you can improve on”

Ah yes. Critiquing Dusty Crophopper. That’s totally not how he spends some evenings. Sitting on the couch with a snack of some kind, watching reruns of the cropduster’s races only to point out every mistake he could find. Definitely not that.

Dusty climbed into his plane and took off. He began to do the maneuvers outlined by the Skipper and things were beginning to make sense. Once he had a good enough understanding of what was going on. He began to lay into the critiques. In fact, he barely stopped using the radio to point out something or other that Dusty was doing wrong. And it felt great. But after a while, as Dusty kept repeating the practice routine skipper had put together, it became harder and harder to find mistakes. And then it hit him. He had actually been helping Dusty. No. no nonono. He didn’t help his competition. Let alone Dusty Crophopper of all people. But it was a little too late and now it became quite obvious all he had done was make Dusty better. It made him want to facepalm, but he kept a face of indifference. Yeah. It didn’t matter how much he helped Dusty. He would always be the best air racer there was and there was no debate about it.

Unfortunately, the time came for them to switch places. Fortunately, he had seen Dusty do the routine enough times he was certain he could pull it off without a hitch. That’s the way he usually did things anyway. He went through the routine once, only to be met with criticism from Dusty. Granted, it was nowhere near as harsh as his had been, and there certainly was not as much of it, but it was still frustrating. He could take criticism from the old man, who undoubtedly had more experience in the air. But if Dusty thought that his two years of success as an air racer qualified him to give the amazing Ripslinger advice, he was dead wrong. He continued the same as before. He knew more about racing than anyone. He didn’t need help from anyone. He continued to receive the same advice, which he continued to ignore. Finally, their time had wrapped up and he could head back to his Manhattan penthouse and he could forget about it all for another week.

They had agreed to practice every Saturday, and the next week Ripslinger began to bring one of his instructors to give feedback as well. He picked an instructor that he figured would work well with Dusty’s practice methods but also had a different background than the Skipper and could provide advice unique to her experience. The only downside is that she was one of his few instructors that still maintained the foolish belief that he could improve. She also was one of the ones who knew how to keep him in line. 

It was probably her influence that caused him to actually start showing up on time. She also forced him to pay attention during the Skipper’s dull and pointless lectures, insisting that there was something for him to learn. While he didn’t actually believe her, she could always tell when he drifted off and would throw things at him if he wasn’t paying attention. On the bright side, she was a really great mediator, and he was getting along with Dusty and his trainer a lot better these days. 

As per usual, they sat together at a picnic table eating lunch, a new tradition which both his instructor, Jackie, and the Skipper insisted was a vital team bonding experience. He hated team bonding experiences. Usually it meant he was forced to endure hours upon hours of Ned and Zed’s stupidity. One time, they had freshly discovered the joke “Why did the chicken cross the road?” and had cackled at it for hours and hours, telling it to him again and again in the hopes that he would “get” the joke. He shuddered. While he enjoyed how good they made him look sometimes, most of the time he wished they would gain a few brain cells. But for better or for worse, he was supposed to be bonding with Dusty. With whom he was absolutely certain he had nothing in common. While he had zoned out ages ago, deciding his salad was far more interesting, he was vaguely aware that Dusty was talking about his friends, the mechanic and the owner of the local gas station. 

“So what about you? Do you have any friends besides Ned and Zed?”

“Do I-? Well of course I do” He stuttered, frantically thinking of someone he could name. The truth was, he really preferred to be alone most of the time. While his bold and egotistical personality caused many to assume he was an extrovert, he really hit his limits when it came to dealing with people. And as a racer, he was forced to deal with a lot of people. So most of the time, if he didn’t need to be with people, he wasn’t. Period.

“Like who?”

“Well… um. Ishani. Yeah we’re friends”

“Really? She doesn’t really mention you whenever we talk”

“So? That doesn’t mean anything” He said picking up his cell phone and dialing her number “I can prove it”

After an awkward 10 seconds of dial tones, a female voice answered.

“Hello?” The color drained from his face. Wrong person, wrong person, wrong person!

“Uh.. um h-hi Vasatika” He stuttered out, his pale face going red. “I-is Ishani there?”

“Oh yeah” she said “She’s just a little busy right now, is there something you needed?”

“Uh nope” he stammered out “I- It’s not important… I-I’ll just call back later! Um... bye!” He hung up quickly before she could protest.

“Well, um I guess she was busy” He laughed nervously, resisting the urge to cover his face in embarrassment.

“Who was that?” Dusty asked

“Oh um, you don’t know Vasatika? Then I am obviously a closer friend to Ishani than you are.” He crossed his arms and looked away, trying to gather some sense of confidence “She is Ishani’s sister” He said proudly, hoping no one had noticed his lapse in composure.

“You look a little red Rip” the Skipper interjected “I’d be willing to bet that you think of her as more than just Ishani’s sister”

“Are you kidding?” Jackie laughed “He’s been head over heels for her since they met 10 years ago. If you ask me, it’s a wonder the whole world doesn’t know by now”

So much for no one noticing. He laughed nervously, looking down in an attempt to hide his face that was undoubtedly growing redder “Let's talk about something else”

It was obvious they wanted to push the matter further. But thankfully, they reluctantly switched to discussing something else, much to Ripslinger’s relief.

The rest of the practice sessions went as planned, albeit with a few mentions of a certain someone, and soon the racers were on their way to London where the Olympics would be held that year.


	3. Chapter 3

Ripslinger took a deep breath as he left his apartment and began the short walk to the airport. Today was the day that they would be leaving for London and, honestly? He was terrified. For one, he was terrified of coming in second to Dusty. Again. More importantly, they would be spending the entire trip together. Same flights. Same hotel room. Same events. Same interviews. Same everything. He had never spent so much time with the racer and he was a little nervous he wouldn’t be able to maintain appearances. He always worked hard to make everything he did appear flawless and effortless, but no one could do that all the time.

He entered the familiar airport and made his way to the terminal where the RPX private jet was waiting. Ned and Zed had come from New Zealand and he and Dusty would be joining them on the rest of the way. Needless to say, he was dreading the upcoming plane ride. Although, he found any plane ride where he was not the pilot extremely boring anyway. While he was still a ways off from the terminal, he spotted Dusty who already appeared to be lost. He had flown there in his plane earlier that morning. Their racing planes would be taking a separate transport to London. He gave Dusty a quick wave to catch his attention.

“Oh hi!” Dusty said, fighting with his duffel bag and backpack which were loose around his elbows while trying to walk over. Ripslinger gave him a moment to collect himself and get his bags in a position that was easier to carry.

“How do you not get lost in this place?” Dusty asked incredulously

“What’s the matter Dusty?” He asked sarcastically “Is this airport bigger than the one in Propwash Junction?”

To his surprise, Dusty laughed. He had sort of meant it as an insult but ever since they had been spending more time together, Dusty began to laugh at his offhand insults. It frustrated him to no avail. Every time he tried to make Dusty feel bad about himself he just blew it off and moved on. It was not the intended effect. It was weird, and a small suppressed part of him would argue that it felt good. He would never admit it, but part of him was relieved not to be at each other throats. Not friends exactly, but not enemies, and definitely not strangers.

He led them to the terminal where the jet had just arrived and they boarded the plane. While Dusty, who had obviously never been in a private jet was busy taking in his surroundings, Ripslinger could only notice the fact that the twins were bouncing off the walls with energy. Great. Someone had given them either coffee or sugar and in either case, they were in for a long ride.

“So I’m confused” said Dusty as they stowed their bags and got strapped in. “Why aren’t you guys on Team USA?”

“Because they’re Kiwis,” Ripslinger said, as if it were common knowledge, which it was not. Accept maybe to diehard fans of course.

“Yeah, even though RPX is based out of NYC, we’re actually from New Zealand and live there when we’re not racing” answered Zed

“Okay, I guess I knew that second part, but what does that have to do with fruit?” Asked Dusty, turning his head in curiosity.

“Oh, Kiwi is just slang for someone from New Zealand” added Ned, trying to remedy Ripslinger’s subtle attempt to make Dusty feel unknowledgeable. While he was fairly clueless most of the time, he knew Rip well enough to see when his intentions weren’t the greatest. Usually he just went along with it so that he wouldn’t lose his job, but technically speaking, Rip wasn’t his boss right now. And seeing as he would need to spend the entire trip with Dusty, some damage control was in order. Besides, subtly confronting him now might get him to back off for the rest of the trip.

As they all drifted off into a conversation about New Zealand and accents that he was sure they found interesting, Ripslinger pulled out a book and began to read. He might as well enjoy himself if he was going to get some time where the twins weren’t constantly annoying him.

After a few hours, Dusty came and tapped his shoulder. Ripslinger took off his headphones. “What do you want?” He asked, surprisingly less angier than usual.

“What are you reading?” Dusty asked

“Only the greatest book ever written!”

“Really?” asked Dusty “What’s that?”

“His autobiography” Ned and Zed crooned sarcastically “Volume I”

“It’s all he ever reads” Zed added.

“Shut up!” He said with a smile, his words lacking their usual malice. While the twins could be annoying, he could never bring himself to hate them. As a result, they got away with things most people wouldn’t.

“Seriously?” Asked Dusty, laughing.

Ok so maybe he needed to widen his reading material. It was honestly all he had ever wanted to read before. Lately, however it lacked the same charm. It had been written by him a few years ago and the cringe that everyone experiences when reading their past work was beginning to emerge. Although perhaps it wasn’t just his writing ability that caused him to cringe.

“Yes, seriously” Ripslinger defended, the tips of his ears going red. “Don’t you guys have something better to do than bother me?”

“Nope” The three said in unison.

“Let’s play a game!” Begged Ned, clapping his hands and bouncing in his seat.

“We are on a plane, there aren't that many options” Ripslinger said, hoping he could slip back into some alone time. He would need it for the week ahead.

“We could play uno” suggested Dusty, “I brought the cards”

“YEAH!” said Ned “it’s my favourite! C’mon boss play with us”

As much as he would rather not, he knew that saying no would only result in hours of nagging which would ultimately be worse, so he caved.

After hours of mind-numbing rounds of Uno, where he discovered the Dusty was surprisingly ruthless with the +4 cards, they finally landed in London and made their way to the hotel. As they navigated the underground system, he told the three to stay close because let's face it: he was the only one who knew the subway system and the rest were bound to get lost without him. And while the idea of Dusty getting lost amused him, he knew it wasn’t worth the hassle of having to track him down later. That’s what he told himself anyway. He led them to the right train and as they climbed aboard he grabbed a handle, as there were no more seats available. While Ned and Dusty had the sense to follow suit, Zed insisted that he didn’t need to, resulting in him falling over as soon as the train began to move. Ripslinger couldn’t decide whether he was amused or annoyed. He decided on amused as Ned burst into laughter as he stood back up. How other people managed to laugh at their own mistakes would never cease to amaze him.


	4. Chapter 4

Upon arriving at the hotel, Ned, and Zed headed to their own room to get ready and go to the party that Bulldog would be hosting that night for all the racers. On the way to the hotel, they had all agreed that they would all meet up in an hour or so and head there together. Dusty mentioned that since Ishani was staying at the same hotel they should invite her along as well. Ned and Zed latched onto the idea immediately and Dusty gave her a call once they arrived in the room. This thankfully gave Ripslinger some much needed time to relax before having to endure social situations again. 

He tried various methods of trying to relax. After scrolling through social media, and only becoming more stressed, he picked up his autobiography and began to read. He quickly became bored and even, dare he suggest, disgusted at the words he had read hundreds of times over.The silence of the room ate at him, making his own presence unbearable and the words on the page incomprehensible. He just wanted it to stop! He put on headphones in attempts to drown out his uncontrollable thoughts. But the question that had been nagging at him since he first met Dusty continued to hijack his mind, and nothing he could do could get him to think about anything else. After a few minutes, he threw the book down exasperatedly and ripped off his headphones. He looked at Dusty, who had finished his call and was currently tying his tie in the mirror.

“How do you do it?” He asked

“Tie a tie?...” Dusty asked, confused

“No stupid, I know how to do that” He indicated to his own neatly tied tie. He paused, took a deep breath to calm himself, and rephrased, “How are you so self-confident?”

He was taken aback “Let me get this straight- YOU’RE asking ME how to be self-confident? You are literally the most self-confident person I know”

Ripslinger rolled his eyes “But… it’s different you know? Like you’re so… so secure? I guess.” He paused, looking down. “You do embarrassing things and… and people treat you like garbage and you just… don’t care? And on top of that you’re just so nice and I don’t know… it’s like you…”

“Don’t care what people think” Dusty finished.

“Yeah” Risplinger felt his throat tighten around the word.

“Well I’ll be honest, It’s not always easy” Dusty paused and looked down. “Especially when I first started racing. A lot of people,” he paused, then met Ripslinger’s gaze, “people that I looked up to, said some really harsh things, things that almost made me give up on becoming a racer” 

Ripslinger felt his throat tighten as he realised what exactly Dusty meant, and who it was he was talking about. 

Dusty sighed, seeing the guilt and desperation in his rival’s eyes “I guess I just remember that everyone else is just as important as I am. They may not be as good at some things as I am, but you can bet there are some things they are a lot better than me at. And that’s okay, you can’t be good at everything. No one can. And even if you’re the best at something, you can always learn from someone else.” He sighed. “Just because someone is good at something doesn’t mean they can look down on others for it. I know my worth, and nothing anyone can say about me can change that” 

He sat there quietly, in thought as Dusty finished tying his tie. As Dusty was about to enter the bathroom to grab his comb, Ripslinger spoke.

“I’m sorry”

The room filled with pounding silence, and his heart began to race and his vision became blurry and detached. He felt himself losing control over himself as he struggled to put out words. He swallowed, trying to collect himself and regain control, to no avail. His tongue, which felt swollen in his mouth, began to speak without his permission.

“I’m sorry I called you stupid just now. I’m sorry for everything I said in Wings Around the Globe, and at the Qualifier. I’m sorry for all of the awful things I’ve probably said in practice. I’ve been an awful teammate, and an awful person. You’ve been nothing but nice to everyone and I’ve been nothing but a self obsessed jerk. I’m sorry you’re stuck on a team with me. You-” he choked a little at the upcoming words “you deserve better. And I promise after this is all over, I will leave you alone and you will never have to deal with me again.” 

The pounding silence resumed, and Ripslinger sought to fill it but no words came. His heart pounded. He could feel it rise inside his ears, and the two silent rhythms merged into one, deafening him with their apprehension. Finally, Dusty spoke.

“I don’t want that”

His world began to twist in on himself. He regretted even saying anything. Of course this couldn’t be fixed by a simple apology. He had done so much irreversible harm, not only to Dusty, but to so many others. He would never be able to fix that. Why should he even try?

“I want to spend more time with you,” Dusty said.

It was quiet. And for the first time in months, years even, it was a good silence. A quiet silence.

“What?” He stuttered “W-Why?”

“Rip. You were one of the racers I most looked up to before I became one. It hurt really deeply when you said the things you did” 

Ripslinger’s insides began to tie themselves in knots. He should have known Dusty was a fan, the way he had acted, it was obvious in hindsight. He simply hadn’t cared. He never used to care about people’s feelings. He always was looking for ways to put others down to gain a false sense of superiority. It was something he had never regretted, until recently. At that moment, the regret consumed him, reminding him of countless cases like Dusty, people he had insulted, destroying their self esteem for the laughs. It was unbearable. And to think that people looked up to him. They deserved better.

“But,” Dusty paused, “I think you’ve been doing a lot of changing lately. While you still have a long way to go, I’m willing to give you a second chance. I’ve gotten to know you a little bit, and I feel like we could be really good friends. That doesn’t mean the way you treated me was right, but,” he took a deep breath “I forgive you”

No words had ever sounded better to the older racer. Friends. He felt like a heavy weight had been taken off. Dusty had forgiven him. It was a start, a new beginning, and he vowed to do better this time. 

“Thank you”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically just RipslingerxOC so if you don't want to read it, feel free to skip this chapter- it doesn't really bring up much that is important later on. But if you want to see more shy and embarrassed Rip, here you go!

It was time to head to the party. They headed down to the lobby where Ned and Zed were waiting along with Ishani and- Oh no. The color drained from his face. He hadn’t realised that Vasatika would be coming with them to the party. Of course she would be representing India with Ishani and had been invited to the party, but the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. Let alone the fact that she would be literally going with them. And boy did she look amazing. He had never seen her dressed up before, as he only ever managed to catch glances at her at racing events since… she asked that he not talk to her anymore. He realised he had been staring at her for too long and he glanced away, his cheeks going pink.

Ishani gave her sister a knowing smile and took Dusty’s arm as they left the hotel. Dusty and Ishani exchanged whispered words he couldn’t hear, and Ishani seemed shocked at whatever he had told her. Probably about his apology, now that he thought about it.

They decided to take a taxi as Bulldog’s house was just outside the city. Unfortunately, this meant splitting up. Somehow, (probably a decision made by Dusty and Ishani in their little side conversation) it had been decided that Dusty, Ned and Zed would be in one taxi while he would be with Ishani and Vasatika in another. Upon hailing a taxi and giving the address, Ishani settled into the furthest side of the back seat, followed by Vasatika, and then Ripslinger. He had never been this close to her before and he realized that this must be some scheme by Ishani to get them to talk to one another. Hadn’t enough happened in one day?

The two women began to speak to each other in Hindi, undoubtedly so that he wouldn’t be able to understand what they were saying. After giving him some questionable looks he had no idea how to interpret, they became quiet, and he realized that Ishani was trying to get him to talk, knowing that he couldn’t stand silence and would often talk so as not to be left with his thoughts.

Surprisingly, Vasatika was the first to break the silence. “So, how has it been working together with Dusty? The two of you are rivals after all.” She spoke carefully, never looking up from her hands which she held in her lap.

“Oh, um well… to be honest, we got off to a bit of a rough start but we are doing a lot better now.”

“That’s good” she said, seemingly interested by the buildings speeding by outside the window.

“You look grape” he finally forced out, finally getting the nerve to compliment her.

She turned her head quickly, giving him a quizzical look. His face went pale as he quickly realized his mistake “Great! Great! I meant great! You, you um, you look great, not grape that would be silly” he looked away, avoiding her gaze. Wow. He had really blown it. After an actual decade of fearing her rejection, he had managed to screw up. Again. Needless to say, she wasn’t a fan of his egotistical personality and his overconfidence in asking her out last time resulted in her abrupt refusal.

She laughed a little, making his heart rate skyrocket. “You do too,” she replied, looking at him. He raised his eyes to look at hers and he knew he felt like he would never be able to think about anything else as long as he lived. He didn’t see the way Ishani smiled from the corner, pleased with her handiwork.

They arrived at the party too quickly, where they joined the rest of the group. They saw many of their friends and caught up with each other, and Ishani and Vasatika quickly disappeared, presumably to meet with the racers from Asia that they knew better. Little did he know that Ishani was simply biding her time while she thought of the next step in her plan.

Not too much later Ripslinger had found himself alone, enjoying himself as he watched from the sidelines. The party was held in Bulldog’s back garden, which was decorated nicely with lights and the flowers that Bulldog loved to care for when he wasn’t racing. Soft music drifted from the dance floor which had been set up in one of the more open spaces where Ned and Zed were dancing with some australian racers he had seen from time to time. Dusty was with El Chubacabra and Rochelle as they showed him pictures of their newborn daughter, of whom, if the rumours were to be believed, Dusty was the godfather. He saw Ishani walk up to them with her sister, dragging Dusty away. He wondered what she could possibly be doing. 

She pulled Dusty to the dance floor where a slow song had begun to play. He noticed that she had left Vasatika all by herself. Looking around, he realized that there probably weren’t very many people she actually knew here. She didn’t do a lot of international races, sticking mainly to ones close to India. And on top of that, she was quite shy, often relying on her sister to start the conversations. He considered going over to her, but then thought better of it. She had probably only complimented him to be nice. 

After a few songs had passed, with no action from either, Ishani gave her sister a pointed look and nodded her head towards Ripslinger. Vasatika, while still unsure of herself, decided it was now or never. Ishani seemed completely convinced that he still liked her in return, and that he had changed from his self-centred ways. She trusted her sister’s judgement.

She approached him and placed her hand on his arm, letting it find its way down to his hand. Taking it she looked him in the eyes “I’m tired of waiting for you to ask me, so I guess I will have to ask. Would you like to dance?”

He nodded wordlessly in awe as she led him over to where the other couples were dancing. A few stared in disbelief, while others were too focused on their own partners to notice the newest couple on the floor.

“You are a good dancer” she commented “Do you get much practice?”

He swallowed, his gaze meeting her own. “No, actually.”

“That’s too bad. It’s a shame such skills have been put to waste by not being used” she murmured as she moved closer.

“It’s not a waste” he defended “There was only ever one girl I really wanted to dance with anyway”

She stopped “And who’s that?” She asked, backing away.

Hesitantly, he reached for her hand, pulling her back. “you” he choked out, the blush again creeping up his cheeks.

She blushed “You flatter me”

“I wish I could flatter you more, but I think I learned from last time that you’re not really into big shows of affection”

“I’m not into big shows when they are more about the giver than the recipient” she stated, matter of factly. 

He cringed at his past actions. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I was wrong before. I hoped that by acting all confident it would make you like me more” he admitted

“Some people like that” she admitted, then looked him in the eyes “but not me”

“Yeah, I figured that one out” he laughed, remembering his past mistakes with a new feeling, certainly not pride, but an acceptance that no matter how much he regretted his actions, he couldn’t change the past. That didn’t mean he couldn’t work towards a better future though.

They continued to dance until the party drew to a close, and he let Vasatika do most of the talking, happy to hear someone else’s voice for a change.


	6. Chapter 6

Ripslinger layed in bed, enjoying the silence. Usually, it ate at him and he fought it by filling it with music, or more often, his own voice. However, for once, it felt good to let it overtake him. He actually felt at ease about the race that day. It was a different feeling for sure. Before Dusty had defeated him at Wings Around the Globe, he had always been confident before races. After, he had dreaded them, and was constantly worried he would make some kind of mistake. Today, though, was a different feeling. He was just at peace- not really caring how he did. He still wanted to win of course, but he didn’t feel like the world would end if he didn’t.

He glanced at his phone, and seeing that it was time for him to get up, he rose and began to get ready for the day. Once he had showered and put on his red, white and blue flight suit that he was supposed to wear, he noticed that Dusty hadn’t gotten up yet. If he didn’t wake up soon, he would be late. He gently shook the ginger, who had the blankets over his head and showed no signs of waking. Ugh. He thought farmers were supposed to get up early. Though, thanks to time differences, it was probably the middle of the night in Propwash Junction. Ripslinger thanked his years of experience racing around the world that he had abandoned the idea of a routine sleep schedule, settling for whatever time his work allowed for him to rest.

He stood there awkwardly. Usually when Ned and Zed overslept he would just yell at them, but that didn’t seem very nice, so he opened the curtains and tried shaking him again. This time he was more successful, and Dusty woke up and looked at him groggily.

“What?”

“You need to get up or we’ll be late”

Dusty looked at the clock and groaned. “5 more minutes,” he mumbled, pulling the blankets back over his head. 

“No,” said Ripslinger, pulling them down. “We need to leave in 15 minutes to get there on time. You need to get ready.”

“That’s plenty of time”

“No, it’s not” He said, crossing his arms and standing up straight. “Besides, you need to actually be awake for the race”

Dusty ignored him.

Oh boy, being nice was harder than he thought it would be. Why did he even care if Dusty made it to the race? It would be one less person he would need to worry about, and winning would definitely be easier without him there. He shook his head. No. Dusty was his friend, and he needed to make sure he made it to the race, even if it meant being a little mean. 

He took Dusty by the arm and pulled him out of bed and onto the floor. “Get up” he said, kicking him gently.

Dusty groaned, but got up and began to get ready. After about ten minutes, they were both ready to go, and began to walk to the airport where they would be participating in that day’s race. There were two racing events in the Olympics, the first race which was based on endurance would be today. Later that week there would be an agility based event. Today, they were going to fly to the Canary Islands and back. It was quite long, but well within what the two of them were used to in the Wings Around the Globe.

“You didn’t have to pull me out of bed, you know,” Complained Dusty, who still seemed zombielike in composure.

“Right, that’s why we got out of the door at the absolute latest possible time” he said, sarcastically. Ripslinger reached into his backpack and pulled out a 5 hour energy shot. “You shouldn’t depend on these, but you need to wake up before you crash your plane”

They arrived at the airport, where their planes were waiting for them. They saw many of the other racers, who were also preparing for the race ahead. Ripslinger saw Vasatika a ways off, and gave her a small wave which she returned, making him smile.

Before long, it was time for the race to begin. Ripslinger climbed onto the wing of his plane. “Hey farm boy!” he yelled to Dusty, with a smile, earning many disapproving glances. “Good luck” he said, climbing into his plane and preparing for takeoff.

The race went smoothly and uneventfully. Due to his significant technological advantage in having a faster plane, Ripslinger took first place, with Dusty earning a close second. It never ceased to amaze him, how even after he could afford a better plane more suited to racing, Dusty chose to stick with his little orange and white cropduster. Not that he was complaining.

He gave Dusty a high-five. Maybe putting them on the same team had been a good idea after all. Their times had each significantly improved from before they began practicing with each other and now their rivalry had become a friendly one. 

He smiled as Ishani sped across the finish line, taking third. He knew how badly she wanted to win a world championship for India, and while coming in third wasn’t technically winning- he knew that that bronze medal would mean the world to her- and her fans would go crazy. He had met some crazy fans in his time- not excluding an aerial firefighting fan of Dusty’s who wrote him daily for a month telling him that Dusty was the best racer ever. Sometimes, he suspected that if Ishani decided to take over India as a dictator, the country would allow it.

The three accepted their medals and stood on the podium for the press to take photographs- Rip with his well rehearsed press smile, Dusty with his genuine and endearing albeit a tad goofy grin, and Ishani, who had abandoned her traditional press smile in favor of the natural one that she couldn’t wipe off no matter how hard she tried.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just a warning, this is the last official chapter of the story! Chapter 8 will just be some deleted scenes I thought might be fun to share. I just wanted to give a heads up because it is always sad for me to reach the end of the story when you think there is a another chapter.

The photo graced many a news-site the next day and Ripslinger couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that, like every other picture he had been in- Dusty’s eyes were closed.

“What’s so funny?” Asked Dusty, who was able to get up on his own and on time since he was no longer suffering from jet lag.

“You always have your eyes closed” He said, triggering another fit of laughter

“Come on, the flash hurts”

Ripslinger paused, then laughed again.

“It’s not that funny” Said Dusty

“I know, it's just” He finally stopped laughing. “I forgot I used to have the same problem”

“Really?”

“Yeah” He smiled. “That’s why I started wearing sunglasses”. Many celebrities wear sunglasses to avoid the press- but Ripslinger had a better chance of going unrecognized without them. They were a signature part of his look and he was rarely seen without them- even at nighttime! “Who knows, maybe you should try it. You would look good in aviators- it would go well with this whole Navy fighter pilot vibe you’re going for”

“I’m not going for a Navy Fighter Pilot Vibe.”

“Uh huh. Sure” he deadpanned, gesturing to the Jolly Wrenches jacket he always wore when not racing “Still, you should try it” He said, pulling a pair out of his backpack and handing them to Dusty.

“I’ve literally never seen you wear this kind of sunglasses before” He said, putting them on.

“Enh. They’re not my style. But they look good on you. You should wear them today”

Dusty’s eyebrow peeked up above the silver frames. “If they’re not your style, why did you bring them?”

Ripslinger put on his usual shades. “Just in case,” he shrugged- closing the door behind them as they left the room. 

\---  
They arrived at that day’s race and surveyed the course. It was suitably difficult, but nothing they couldn’t handle. Since neither racer would be competing until further in the day, they settled in and watched everyone else- trying to catch any intricacies of the course that they could. There were the usual number of flukes- nerves combined with a harder than average course often resulted in some really bad runs. Despite this, many racers, especially seasoned racers, were able to put forth impressive times. Each racer was given two attempts, and Dusty went first. He completed the course in first place, and managed to improve his time the second time around.

“First place, not bad for a farm boy” Ripslinger stated, echoing Dusty’s words from his first Wings Around the Globe.

Dusty rolled his eyes and smiled “By the way, see that vertical” he said, pointing to a pylon in the course.

“Yeah?”

“You’re going to want to go wider on that one. The wind is really strong and tries to blow you into the inner pylon” The wind had been consistently blowing west all day, but it had definitely been getting worse.

“Why are you giving me advice?” He said, raising an eyebrow.

“Because we’re teammates”

“You’ve clearly never been on a team” He said, leaning down on the fence.

“Fine, we’re friends”

Ripslinger accepted that answer “Okay then” He was conflicted. He still wasn’t sure whether he would take Dusty’s advice. Going wider could cost him valuable time. Besides, he was way more experienced than Dusty, and while Dusty was a good racer, he wasn’t sure he was quite ready to rely on his judgement.

The wind had died down a bit when Ripslinger took to the skies for his run, at least at first. He had ultimately decided against following Dusty’s advice. He knew much more about racing than the younger racer and he wasn’t willing to risk valuable seconds going wider. Bad choice. As he approached the pylon in question, the wind surged, pushing his plane into the pylon, resulting in a penalty. Fortunately, his plane was undamaged- excluding a few scratches that Kenny would undoubtedly be unhappy about having to fix when they got home.

Due to his penalty he hadn’t made it onto the leaderboard, but he could try again the second round. He took a deep breath, knowing that he would need to do something he had never done before. He would have to admit he was wrong.

He came around again. And this time, he followed Dusty’s advice, to good effect. He looked at the leaderboard, where he had managed to slide into second place. He smiled. Usually he hated getting second, but today he didn’t feel so bad. Additionally, he felt sort of happy for Dusty. It was a foreign feeling, but a positive one.

Upon landing he promptly went to find Dusty “You gave good advice. I should have followed it the first time” He paused. “Thank You” It was funny how the words got easier the more he said them; and yet they never diminished in meaning.

“No problem,” said Dusty. They sat in comfortable silence, watching with anticipation as the other racers took their turns. After several hours, the day was over, and the two could rest knowing their podium finish was secure. To Dusty’s delight (and Ned and Zed’s disappointment), El Chupacabra was in third place. The three posed for their pictures (Dusty’s closed eyes hidden by the sunglasses he wore that day) and it felt like the Olympics were over just as soon as they had begun. 

Of course, they stayed to watch many of the other events, and for the final ceremony- but their work was done. The week went by in a blur and before Ripslinger knew it, he was standing at an exit at JFK airport, saying goodbye to his newfound friend.

“Thanks again for helping me, and giving me a second chance, I definitely didn’t deserve it.”

“I’m glad I did. You’re not so bad sometimes”

“Oh, here” he said, pulling out the sunglasses he had borrowed for the week.

Ripslinger stopped him “No, you should keep them” he smiled. “They look better on you anyway”

They stood awkwardly around for a few seconds before Ripslinger started again.

“You know Dusty, If you ever want to join the team we’d be happy to have you”

“Thanks but, it’s not really me.”

“I understand, Just wanted to put the offer out there, you know, because you have definitely earned it.”

“Thanks Rip.” He looked at the ground, fiddling with the sunglasses “I guess this is where we say goodbye”

“Yeah, for now. See you around”

“See ya”

They waved and parted ways.

\---  
Ripslinger entered his apartment, sad to say goodbye to Dusty but overall happy to be home. It had been a long few weeks and he was ready for some time to himself. He left his bags by the door, deciding that unpacking could wait. He cringed as he looked at his walls that were littered with pictures of himself. He thought to change that. Maybe some pictures of him and friends, hanging out. Oh well, he decided. That could wait. He flopped onto the couch and pulled out his phone. As he updated his social media with a picture of himself, Dusty, Ned, and Zed from the plane ride home, he received a text from Ishani

Me, Dusty; You, Vasatika. Double date. The cafe in Propwash Junction. September 1st, 18:00

He smiled. She knew he was too scared to set up a date himself. His reply was instant

I’ll be there :)


	8. Deleted Scenes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feat. Rip and Ishani Karaoke and alternate insecure Rip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is just a few deleted/alternate scenes that I thought would be fun to just throw out there.

Chapter 3.5  
This was supposed to be a bonding moment between Ripslinger and Ishani as well as some important character development for Rip. I just decided it added too many elements to the story and didn’t really fit in well with the rest. Now, after rereading it I kinda wish I had put it in. But it has some really nice moments for Ishani so *Jazz Hands*  
\---  
After getting settled into the hotel, the four began to argue about what to do between then and the party that Bulldog was hosting for the racers that night. While Ned and Zed had their own separate room, they opted to spend the afternoon with Ripslinger and Dusty, much to his annoyance. The three of them really wanted to go to Buckingham Palace to make faces at the guards. Honestly, how unprofessional. On top of that, it was super touristy. He wouldn’t be caught dead doing anything of the sort. Fortunately, his phone began to ring. He answered, seeing it was Ishani. She invited him to go see a show with her on the West End and he readily accepted. Not only because he didn’t want to be dragged along with the others, but he actually enjoyed musical theatre and it was a common interest they shared. In fact, he liked to think he got his love for the spotlight from his time acting in various musicals in high school. Although, if anyone asked, he would quickly deny his ability to sing. It wasn’t the part of himself he liked to put forward anymore.

“Who was that?” Inquired Dusty.

“It was Ishani, she invited me to go see a musical with her” He answered

“Ooooooh, are you going on a date?” asked Zed

“No, it’s not a date,” He said, slightly frustrated. Honestly, every time he spent any time with Ishani people assumed there was a romantic element. Why couldn’t people accept that they were just friends? Although, it seemed like people assumed that about Ishani no matter who she spent time with. He did not envy the struggles of being a woman in a male-dominated sport.

“Whatever you say boss” 

He began to get ready, as he would need to leave soon. He opted to wear the clothes he would be wearing to the party that night- a black suit with a black dress shirt and tie. While usually the team dress code required him to wear a combination of black and green to these sorts of events, he took advantage of the temporary freedom to wear whatever he wanted. After he made sure he had everything he needed, he said goodbye to the three of them, who were pouring over various maps and pamphlets that the hotel had provided, looking for things to do in the city. He met Ishani in the lobby, as she was staying in the same hotel. Apparently, many countries had chosen to house their athletes in this hotel. 

They opted to walk to the theatre as it wasn’t very far and the weather was surprisingly nice. Ripslinger listened as Ishani began to talk about imperialism and why she hated Britain. He didn’t add anything or contradict her, he was smart enough to tell that this was something she was really passionate about, and it was nice to get to know more about her.

“So, anyway, I am so going to beat Bulldog. He’s a nice enough guy but India’s going to take home the gold on this one. Ugh! I can’t believe he beat me in the commonwealth games when they were held in India a few years ago! This is my chance to finally set things right.”

He smiled. Ishani was usually so composed, it was a little odd seeing her get so angry. But he knew that beneath her demure composure she could be fiercely competitive. Unfortunately, he had learned this the hard way during his first Wings Around the Globe when he told her there was no chance she would win. He kind of regretted saying that now. Of course, he had won but she certainly hadn’t made it easy for him, beating him on several individual legs and coming in only seconds behind him in the final. Since then, she swore the day would come when she would beat him in a Wings Around the Globe. He was sure she was overjoyed when Dusty had beaten him, even if she had been further down in the ranks.

“You know Rip,” She stated “You seem different lately. Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine”

“It’s just, you seem quieter than usual”

“Oh, well” He rubbed the back of his neck “I thought it would be nice to see what you had to say for a change”

“Now I know you’re sick” she said placing a hand on his forehead

“Knock it off” he said jokingly

“You know” she said, moving closer, “Humility is a good look on you” she took his hand “It’s the kind of thing I find very attractive”

His cheeks went pink “Ishani, i’m sorry but I’m going to have to stop you right there” He paused, taking a deep breath “I don’t like you that way. I’ve only ever thought of you as a friend. I’m sorry if this makes things awkward but-

She put a finger to his lips and smiled “Good”

He stopped in his tracks. “Wait, what?”

“That’s very good. I don’t actually like you romantically either”

“Then why did you say you did?”

“To see if you did”

“That doesn’t make any sense”

“Of course it does silly”

He cocked his head.

Ishani continued “I need to know if you have ulterior motives. Besides, if you want any chance of being with Vasatika I needed to know whether you loved her or women in general”

“Who said anything about Vasatika?” He asked, looking around frantically.

She cocked an eyebrow “Rip, don’t play dumb with me. It’s obvious you like her. She’s the only person that makes you lose your cool and despite the literal throngs of women begging to be with you, to my knowledge, she’s the only girl you’ve ever asked out”

“And she said no,” he mumbled

“Yeah, because you were a narcissistic jerk” 

He directed his gaze downward. “Ouch, you’re not pulling any punches are you”

“Not when it comes to my sister”

They put their conversation on hold as they entered the theatre and took their seats. It was a great show, as expected. They left the theatre energized and in awe of the performance. 

“So, you never told me” Ishani said, a smile tugging at her lips “When did you get into musicals?”

“In high school. My mom forced me to try out for the school play and I’ve been a theatre kid ever since”

“Really? Did you get the part? Wait, Did you get a singing part”

He laughed “yeah”

“I never knew you could sing”

“Well yeah, it’s not exactly something I want to put out there”

“Why not?” She asked “Are you really bad?”

“I’d say i’m mediocre”

“You’re avoiding my question” she pointed out, tapping him on the chest.

“I don’t know, I just think it would be kind of weird”

“Come on, your fans would love it!” She gasped “You could guest star on my next album!” Seeing the look of utter terror on his face, she paused, “Why would it be weird?”

“Because I’m a racer. And singing doesn’t really have anything to do with racing. And I’m not that great, and-” He paused “When I sing, I feel like I am showing the truest part of me. The part I don’t want everyone to see. Especially not the whole world, complete strangers and everything”

“Okay” she hesitated, “I can get behind that. But what about your friends? Why don’t you share this with them?”

“Because” He dug his fingers into his hair. Wow he had never gotten this personal before “I’m not good at it” he mumbled

“This is about more than singing isn’t it,” Ishani said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You’re afraid of not being perfect. That no one will like you if you make a mistake. You’re afraid of being vulnerable”

He looked down at the pavement as a sense of understanding overtook him. He felt a heaviness in his heart at this new realization, but also a lightness, like a burden had been taken off “Yeah” he choked out, barely above a whisper.

“Well, I have good news for you. I don’t care if you’re not perfect. Honestly it was really starting to get on my nerves. Some imperfection from you would be quite refreshing. And I have a feeling that the people who really care about you won’t care either. So, what do you say we head back to the hotel and you show me that wonderful singing voice of yours”

He looked up at her and smiled “What if the neighbors hear?”

“Well, I should think they would consider themselves lucky to get to attend our little concert”

\---

It was uncomfortable at first, trying to forget about what everyone might be thinking about him as Ishani tried to get him to just have fun and let himself go. However, after a while he really began to enjoy himself as they sang different songs together. There was a mixture of many different songs that they chose to sing together, but of course it was while they were doing a duet of some obscure Broadway tune that Dusty and the twins returned from their afternoon in London and walked in on their little concert.

Ripslinger froze as he realized that they all had walked in on him at an embarrassing time. This was the first time he had well and truly embarrassed himself in front of his rival, unless one counted when he crashed his plane into the portable toilets after losing the Wings Around the Globe, but he liked to think Dusty hadn’t noticed that. At least for the sake of his pride.

“Hi guys!” Said Ishani, calmly. He aspired to have her confidence “We were just having a little karaoke session while we were waiting for you guys to come back”

“Oh wow, that sounds like fun!” said Zed

Ripslinger was taken aback. They really didn’t care that he had literally just been singing? Maybe Ishani was right. Maybe his friends really didn’t care if he did stuff that he considered embarrassing.

\---  
Alternate Chapter 1:  
This was an alternate draft of chapter one where Ripslinger was going to be more insecure. It’s basically the same except for a few things. I ultimately decided it was too OOC for him but if you want to read it, here it is  
\---

Ripslinger’s knee bounced as he sat in the drab waiting room. It wasn’t that he was nervous. Oh no, he didn’t get nervous. Not that at all. He had been there for 5 minutes! 5 minutes! How could they keep him waiting?! 

Finally he was asked to enter the cramped office and needless to say, he was disappointed. Not surprised, but definitely disappointed. He figured they would invite Dusty Crophopper, the farm boy who fancied himself a racer. But seeing him bouncing in his seat like a 5-year-old who had just been told they were going to Disneyland made him realize just how much he had dreaded the news that was sure to come.

For as long as he had been racing, he had represented the US in the Olympics. Alone. Oddly, there had never been anyone else good enough to join the team. But now… now he would have to share with Dusty, if they decided they needed him at all. With Dusty here they’ll probably tell you they don’t want you on the team, he’s much better than you anyway. What are you talking about?! You are the best Racer that has ever been and ever will be! Farm boy has no right to consider himself your equal, let alone your superior.

“Hello Ripslinger, Please take a seat” Said the man behind the desk, gesturing to the vacant chair next to the one Dusty was occupying. Ripslinger hated pleasantries. He wished the man would just get to the point. “As I am sure you can see,” the man began, “Dusty will be joining you on the US air racing team for the Olympics this year.” Ha! Told you so! You are way better than D!

“So i’ll leave you two to figure out practice times and whatever, we’’l be sending you more info soon” The man said, rising from his seat

“Wait, practice times?” Ripslinger was taken aback. He was not aware that this required them to practice together.

“Well of course! The two of you will be on the same team after all! It only makes sense that the two of you spend some time practicing together. I’ll leave the details to the two of you, but I’m sure you two have plenty you can learn from each other”

As if! There is no way I will be taking advice from farm boy  
What if this is their way of saying that you’re not as good as he is?  
Why would they say that! Everyone knows you are way better than he will ever be and it that farm boy thinks-

“Is that OK, Rip?” 

Oh great, he’d been zoning out. He looked up to see Dusty looking at him questioningly. “What?” Ripslinger asked. He had no idea what the crop duster had been talking about.  
“I wanted to know if it was alright if we meet in Propwash Junction this saturday to practice and we can work things out from there”

He cringed inwardly. He dreaded the idea of practicing with farm boy, but it didn’t really look like he had a choice. He laughed inwardly as he pictured Dusty struggling with the intricacies of JFK airport. Apparently, no matter how many times he had been there for racing, he always managed to mess it up somehow, and stories about his failures were among the most popular among the regulars there. As much as he would like to see it firsthand, he knew that practice would be a lot less frustrating at a less busy airport. There were some downsides to living in the city. 

“Sure” He said, already dreading the aforementioned training session.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has left a review and/or kudos! It means so much to me. I had a lot of fun writing this story and while I probably won't become a consistent writer for the planes fandom, I do have some more story ideas that I hope to get to eventually.


End file.
